6 Things WWE subtly told us on RAW before Survivor Series: Kevin Owens beats former World Champion after 6.5 years, Popular babyface gets humiliated after big mistake?

Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on RAW. It was the go-home edition of the Red brand before Survivor Series 2021, and the build-up to the pay-per-view was nothing more than average.

However, the episode itself featured good matches and entertaining segments, although inconsistent booking was something that plagued the show. We didn't have an invasion angle as we usually do, which is perhaps good because the brand supremacy concept makes less sense when the Draft was just over a month ago.

Either way, a lot happened on this episode that was headlined by Rey Mysterio vs. Bobby Lashley. Following his loss, Adam Pearce, who is a full-blown heel now, removed Mysterio from the team and replaced him with Austin Theory. Here's what WWE subtly told us on the RAW before Survivor Series 2021:

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#6. Kevin Owens' heel turn follows up with a massive victory on RAW

Kevin Owens once again tried to justify his heel turn, but not in the desperate way he did the previous week. This week on RAW, he seemed to care less about what people thought of him, and the classic heel Prizefighter seems to be back with a few adjustments to his character.

Seth Rollins was originally scheduled to face Finn Balor, but after The Architect entered the six-man tag team match at the beginning of RAW, his bout against Balor was canceled.

Instead, Owens was confronted by an old rival in the backstage area - Balor, who told him that a match was booked between them for later in the night. For the uninitiated, The Prince and KO have a history together.

They first faced off for the NXT Championship in March 2015, when Kevin Owens was the incumbent champion. Finn Balor failed on that occasion, but he got his victory and won the NXT title in Japan at The Beast In The East special later that year.

Their trilogy concluded at Takeover: Brooklyn, where Balor beat Owens in an epic ladder match. The two haven't crossed paths in a proper feud since then, although they did headline the RAW after WrestleMania 33 when Finn Balor made his return to team up with Seth Rollins against Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe.

This week, Owens defeated Balor for the first time in over six-and-a-half years. The significance of this is huge, as he not only got one over his old rival, but he entered the WWE title picture once again in the process.

He lost three weeks in a row on the Monday night show, and that streak finally ended at Balor's expense.

#5. Becky Lynch chews Liv Morgan out on RAW after a possible mistake by WWE

Becky Lynch came out on RAW to cut a promo on her long-time rival and former friend Charlotte Flair - who she happens to be facing this Sunday at Survivor Series. It was a great promo, with Lynch firing back harder than what Flair did this past Friday on SmackDown.

She was interrupted by Liv Morgan, the No.1 contender for the RAW Women's Championship. The fact that Morgan wasn't even mentioned before says a lot about what The Man thought of her.

Either way, it was quick to see that WWE made a mistake with this segment. While Liv Morgan might be the No.1 contender, the real feud between the two women on the Red brand will only begin post-Survivor Series.

The company perhaps could have waited for a week to have the promo battle as Lynch chewed Morgan up. As our fellow writer Riju Dasgupta put it, the promo battle between the two was like seeing Picasso and a random street artist side-by-side.

The difference in skill was massive and Liv Morgan had little to nothing to show for it. She called Becky Lynch a "b**ch" before the champion nearly struck her, but Morgan stood tall. Despite this, it was a bad look and a mistake by WWE to throw her right in with such bad timing.

#4. WWE's explanation of why Randy Orton didn't come out earlier on RAW, and what lies ahead

This week on RAW, Big E found himself in a bit of trouble as Roman Reigns sent The Usos to the Red brand to do his bidding. They assaulted the WWE Champion to ensure that Reigns has it easier this Sunday in their clash at Survivor Series 2021.

It was Riddle who came out for the save, and it made sense since RK-Bro is officially facing The Usos in a clash of tag team champions at the upcoming pay-per-view. However, Randy Orton didn't come out.

It led to a tag team match featuring Riddle and Big E vs. The Usos, and following an interference from Seth Rollins that caused a disqualification, things broke down. Orton finally came out for the save, and it led to a six-man tag team bout, where Rollins pinned Riddle for the win.

Now, it looks like The Usos are in prime position to beat the RAW Tag Team Champions at Survivor Series 2021. As for Randy Orton, he gave his partner a lesson backstage, berating him for interfering in business that wasn't his in the first place.

When looking deeper into the promo, it explained why The Viper didn't come out for the save earlier on the show. Despite being a babyface, he still doesn't care about anybody outside RK-Bro. He imparted his wisdom as to why it isn't always a good idea to interfere in business that doesn't involve them.

Are you team RK-Bro or Team Usos at Survivor Series?

#3. Bianca Belair's next RAW opponent is waiting on the other side of Survivor Series

This week on RAW, Bianca Belair was seen at the gorilla position getting ready for a match. She challenged Doudrop to come and sort out all her issues in the ring, but it was the veteran Tamina who stepped up to the plate.

They would have a good match, with Belair picking up the victory after a nice effort from the veteran. The result was never in question, nor was Doudrop coming out after the match was over.

Like a classy heel, Doudrop said that she could easily come to the ring and beat Bianca Belair after she had a match, but she wasn't going to do it. Instead, she offered to wait it out until the RAW after Survivor Series, and that's when the feud will begin.

It's a good decision to take Belair away from the RAW Women's Championship picture. From the moment she won the Women's Royal Rumble match in 2021, she has been involved in the Women's title picture on both main roster brands.

#2. Is a Tag Team title feud on the horizon for Queen Zelina and Carmella on RAW?

This week on RAW, Nikki A.S.H. took on Queen Zelina, a woman who has had more momentum than most superstars on the roster. The result seemed obvious from the start, as Zelina beat Nikki.

The latter has had little momentum since her tag team title victory, and she floundered once again. However, Rhea Ripley picked up the pieces when she faced and defeated Carmella immediately after.

While the score was one-one on the night, we mustn't forget that Queen Zelina and Carmella already hold a victory over the reigning tag team champions. It seems as though a feud is going to start post-Survivor Series for the Women's Tag Team Championships.

The only negative is that Nikki A.S.H.'s ability keeps being played down, and with every match she loses, the heels are proven right. It wouldn't be surprising to see Zelina's momentum lead her to the first title victory of her entire WWE career.

But the question is as to whether it should lead to a title change.

#1. The RAW Tag Team division keeps moving on with inconsistent booking

Last week on RAW, Chad Gable fell short to Big E but was given a great display, after which a match between the WWE Champion and Otis was teased. This week, they faced The Street Profits and lost.

While that would be normal on any other episode of RAW (or SmackDown), it seemed to do damage to Otis' future match against Big E. On the other side, AJ Styles and Omos faced The Dirty Dawgs in a big match on the show.

Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler have been on a roll, and some expected them to walk out with the victory and become the No.1 contenders to the RAW Tag Team titles post-Survivor Series.

So, of course, WWE made sure that it was Styles and Omos who won. The inconsistent booking and lack of storytelling sums up the company's approach to the tag team division and a large part of how the Red brand was this week ahead of Survivor Series 2021.

Who will emerge as the brand's Tag Team title contenders? Whoever it is, fans are going to find it hard to be invested.